Gajevy Week 2017
by Gajeelswoman
Summary: My first year of following the Gajevy Week Tumblr prompts! All seven of my prompts are going to be one continuous story, and hopefully I'll get them finished on time each day! Fairy Tail characters and the universe they live in belong to Hiro Mashima, not me. That would be super freaking cool though.
1. Matching

"Lucy, you've got it, right?" Levy's ears perked up as she heard her friends talking outside of the changing area she was currently standing in. The beautiful folding screen was all that separated her from the other women, and she stood still to listen. Not that she'd been doing anything other than shivering anxiously, anyway.

"Yeah! I do! He gave it to me yesterday!" Levy heard some rustling around, and then there were squeals and happy exclamations. She started to move, planning to peek around the corner of the screen when Lucy popped up in front of her. Her blonde friend wore a huge grin on her face, obviously tickled that she had managed to catch the bluenette's attention. "Are you ready then, Levy-chan?" Lucy stepped forward boldly in her floor-length deep blue gown, reaching past Levy. She gently lifted a dress off the mannequin next to the tiny Script Mage before holding it out, Levy carefully stepping into it. The taller woman smiled as she slid the soft fabric up Levy's legs, helping guide her arms through the straps. The lace halter fit Levy snugly, the patterns enhancing the tiny woman's chest, but mostly putting the focus onto her shapely shoulders, Levy's bright guild mark plainly evident. Carefully stepping around her friend, Lucy tugged the zipper up, causing the dress to hug what many people considered one of the bluenette's best features. She then leaned down to arrange the skirt, flaring out from Levy's knees and flowing to the ground around her. The fabric shimmered a little in the soft light of the girls' room, and Levy stared down at herself, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Levy-chan!" Lucy snatched up a handkerchief from a table in the corner, dabbing gently at the corners of her friend's eyes. "None of that now! You're going to mess what little makeup you've got on!" Mirajane had spent barely five minutes applying a minimal amount of color to the bride's face, simply dusting a blue to match the bridesmaids dresses on her eyelids. Smiling at the Levy, Lucy brushed the Script mage's hair back from her eyes, a gentle ringlet falling on each side of her face. Cancer had almost cried as he styled her hair, surprising Lucy. She'd not realized her spirits were so attached to her best friend too. Erza supposed it might have had something to do with how much Lucy herself cared for the tiny woman, but Mira had just smiled. "Of course they love Levy!" She'd stated matter-of-factly. "Levy always has a kind word for them, and she's spent so much time talking with Crux, they probably all feel like they know her!" Levy had simply blushed and ducked behind her changing screen, carefully disrobing and pulling on her undergarments and garter. Then she had stood to wait for Lucy, listening to her friends chatting as she took deep breaths to calm herself.

Levy smiled back at her friend, turning slowly to step out from behind the screen. She was looking at her feet to make sure she didn't trip over her hem, and stopped as a chorus of gasps erupted around her, slowly raising her eyes to see her friends all staring at her. "Oh! I shouldn't have had such beautiful women stand with me!" She exclaimed with a laugh as she looked around at them. They'd slipped into gowns that almost matched her own, each of them as stunning as the next. The dresses she'd chosen for her attendants were halter styles like hers, but since each of the women she had with her were more... endowed... she chose a style with a keyhole cutout to show off their ample cleavage. The fabric was a rich, deep blue, so dark it was almost black. When the light hit it just right, the color shone through, like the depths of the ocean, or a moon-dark night sky. The sheathe style dresses clung to their bodies, a long slit up the left side of the dress allowing easy movement and showcasing shapely legs. Levy glanced down at her own bodice, a sense of insecurity creeping into her head when the silence was broken by squeals, her bridesmaids clamoring around her.

"Truly a more beautiful bride has never graced this cathedral, Levy!" Erza crooned, wrapping an arm around the tiny Script mage. Lucy was still hovering behind her, making sure no one stepped on the short train of Levy's dress in all of the excitement. "Juvia knows that Gajeel-kun will be unable to see anything but the beauty of Levy-chan. Juvia wishes Gray-sama would look at her the way Gajeel-kun looks at his mate." She dabbed at the tears filling her eyes, a brilliant smile on her face. Mira was gently lifting Levy's face with a finger under her chin as she inspected Levy's makeup. "Levy, you're so beautiful, I don't even know why you made me put anything on you. I've always envied how perfect your skin is, you know!" The bluenette gaped at the Takeover mage in front of her, trying to wrap her mind around what had just been said to her. "Surely you've never envied me?! Mirajane, your skin has always been flawless!" Mira just giggled, Lisanna stepping up next to her. "Levy, we've always just used our magic to cover up issues we had." Lisanna joined her sister and the rest of the gaggle of girls in laughing as Levy flushed, smiling back at them.

Levy looked down at her hand as she felt something cool and metallic pressed into her palm. "Fancy a pick-me-up, Little Blue?" Cana's cheeks were barely even tinted pink, which was shocking for how late in the day it was. With a grin, Levy took the barest sip out of the flask she'd been offered and passed it to the next closest of her friends. "So... are you going to let me see his ring?" Levy asked, raising an eyebrow at her friends. Juvia squealed and dove for a small table at the end of the couch she'd been sitting on when Levy came out. She scooped up a box and hurried back over, holding it out to Levy. The box, in and of itself, was stunningly made. It was wooden, carved and covered with a silver filigree that she just knew Gajeel had formed himself. She opened it carefully, nervous hands shaking, and froze in awe of the masterful piece inside.

It wasn't made of his own iron, at least not as far as Levy could tell, but she recognized it as his work anyway. Levy had planned almost every single detail of the wedding, but Gajeel had adamantly demanded that he have control over both of their rings. She trusted him, the man had simple and subtle sensibility. She had been expecting a plain band with maybe a small amount of etching. Instead, she pulled out a circle of silver with a dragon engraved in it. No, engraved was too simple of a word. It was part of the actual ring itself; a long body, complete with minuscule scales, stretched out in flight. Obviously the space on a ring was such that the magnificent wings couldn't be spread out, rather they were pinned back to its body as if the dragon was diving to max out its speed. His mouth was agape, open in preparation to eat his own tail, it looked, except for a perfect circle cut out through the entire ring, exactly in the middle of the dragon's head and tail. Levy turned the ring to investigate the inside, seeing that the hole was cut straight through and framed by a strange indent, and felt tears welling in her eyes again. "Forever tamed by her love" was engraved inside a slight trench that ran fully around the inside of the ring, followed by a date. _Today's date._ Before she could puzzle out the hollow space on the inside of the ring, there was a knock at the door and she reseated it in its box before handing it to Lucy.

"Everyone decent in there?" Jet called through the door. Levy smiled at Mirajane, and the white-haired woman stepped to the door, opening it just a crack to peek outside. Seeing only Jet and Droy, she opened it wider, admitting their entrance. Levy giggled when she saw that the rest of her attendants had stepped between her and the door, effectively blocking her from sight since they were all so much taller than her. Just as Mira closed the door, they all heard a squeaked "Wait!" and then a flash of blue slipped through the door as Wendy slid to a stop. "I'm sorry I'm late! Carla was too busy giving the boys orders and I was having so much fun watching that I lost track of time." The young Dragon Slayer smiled, bowing slightly as she looked around at everyone. She stepped over to Lisanna, who was holding out a basket, and took it carefully running her fingers through the silky flower petals inside. Levy looked away from her to see her teammates simply standing where they'd stopped once they had gotten inside, their mouths agape and tears rolling down their cheeks. "LEVY!" They wailed in unison, both of them stepping forward as if they wanted to snatch her up in a hug. "Absolutely not!" Erza yelled, stepping in front of Levy again. "She is completely perfect and you will NOT sully her dress with your tears! Now knock this nonsense off, or I'll find someone else to give her away instead!" The male members of Team Shadow Gear choked off their sobs, smiling through the tears at Levy as fear of the Titania took hold enough to give them control. "L-ladies..." Droy managed to mumble out, "Your partners are waiting for you down the hall, if you're all ready."

Squealing once more, the girls swooped around the room, snatching up bouquets and slipping on their shoes. Lucy knelt in front of Levy with a pair of slippers, sliding her hand under the front of the beautiful white dress and holding the shoes still until Levy had them on properly. "I'll see you out there, Levy-chan!" The blonde smiled, a tear threatening to fall as she kissed her friend's cheek and ran out the door after the other girls. Levy beamed up at her teammates, pulling them each down in turn to kiss their foreheads. "I am so completely thankful for you both." She said as she linked her arms through theirs. "I cannot imagine anyone else being here for me today." Team Shadow Gear made its way down the hall, pausing just out of sight of the sanctuary of the cathedral, waiting for their musical cue. The wedding march began to play and, taking a deep breath all at the same time, the three best friends stepped out into the aisle and began their trek to the altar.

Levy looked up through her eyelashes and almost stopped dead, the stunning man at the end waiting for her completely stealing her breath. His crimson eyes burned with emotions she couldn't read from this distance, only that she knew they were there, but the expression on his face was one of utter rapture. For the briefest of moments, he looked as if someone he struck him in the chest, driving all oxygen or thought out of him. Then his face split into the widest smile she'd ever seen on his face. Bigger and more pure than the little grins reserved only for her, and sweeter than any she could have imagined seeing. She smiled as she felt a blush creeping across her cheeks, and walked slowly closer to him, everything in her wanting to simply run and fling herself into his arms. After what felt like hours, although she knew from rehearsal was really less than two minutes, she reached the altar and was handed off to the man she'd chosen to be her partner in everything. She echoed her replies to Warrod, the wizard saint having demanded the right to officiate their ceremony was his as one of the founders of Fairy Tail. She was savoring every word that came from Gajeel's mouth as she stared up into his eyes. She no longer cared about the tears rolling down her face, or the ache in her cheeks from smiling so much for so long.

"Do you have the rings?" The spell of their ceremony was momentarily broken as Gajeel turned to take Levy's ring from the tiny box Pantherlily held out. Levy reached her hand out blindly behind her, unable to take her eyes of the man who was about to become her husband. She felt Lucy press it into her hand and wrapped her fingers around her friend's, squeezing tightly for just a moment. "You're welcome." She heard whispered. Lily retook his place behind Natsu, still technically Gajeel's Best Man, even if he wasn't the first in line. Levy saw the glint of silver of her own ring for just a moment as they both passed each other's rings to Warrod and continued with the ceremony, listening to him call the rings out as a token of their never-ending love.

Levy looked down, finally seeing her ring as Gajeel slid it onto her finger and gasped, tears falling anew. Her delicate ring held a single ruby, cut in a perfect circle, and nestled in the center of the tiny engraved book that was the centerpiece of her ring. The stone was flawless, a deep red that matched Gajeel's eyes completely. Faint runes were etched in her band, she could see them wrapping around it, although she didn't take the time to try to translate them at the moment. She couldn't get her brain to work enough to even tell what language they were in, although if she had to guess, she'd have said Draconic. She looked up at Gajeel, finally her husband, as the tree-natured man officiating their wedding called out with a loud, clear voice. "You may kiss your bride!" Gajeel's hands were on her in an instant, one on her hip pulling her close to him, the other cupping her cheek as he ducked his head down to kiss her. She threw her left hand up around his head, her right dropping next to her with her bouquet clutched tightly in it. After what felt like an eternity, but also a moment that was over too soon, they broke apart, Gajeel resting his forehead against hers as they both caught their breath. "Shrimp... I love you so much."

Levy opened her mouth to respond in kind but was cut off by her husband kissing her again, their friends laughing and catcalling. She pulled back, smiling as she turned them to face the gathered mages and friends who were in attendance. "I present to you Mr and Mrs Redfox!" The old man behind them called out, followed by the resounding cheers of their guests. The deafening sound covered up Levy's squeak as Gajeel scooped her up into his arms and took off down the aisle and out of the cathedral at a full sprint. They only had a short trip to the reception that Mira and the other women of Fairy Tail had set up at the guild hall, but Gajeel had said he wanted to get there first to snag the best food. Levy giggled and waved over his shoulder to the attendants of their ceremony as they were left behind. She saw Lucy grab Natsu to keep him from trying to make a race out of it, and Jet take a few quick steps after them before he stopped, shaking his head. He could easily overtake them, of course, but he figured he would give the newlyweds a moment alone before the impending madness of the upcoming party.

"Shrimp, I wanna show ya somethin'." Gajeel slid to a stop next to the head table, setting her down on top of it. She smiled and grabbed the lapels of his tuxedo, pulling him down for another kiss. He obliged, gently taking her left hand and pulling it up between them. He kissed her fingers gently before letting go and grabbing the band on his hand. Levy kept her hand hanging between them, watching curiously as he pulled the ring off. "Look, I might not always be able to wear this, for different reasons, so I made it like this." As he spoke, he gently slid her ring off her hand as well, and worked the two rings together. The ruby on Levy's slid perfectly into the space in Gajeel's ring, the dragon now seeming to breathe fire. His band was still much larger than her own, and Levy studied it curiously to figure out how she was supposed to wear it. Her husband laid it on his left hand, placing a single finger against it. Levy's eyes widened as the ring started to shrink, metal sliding from the ring to form a smaller, much thinner band around his finger. He took her hand and slowly slid their combined rings back onto her finger. She smiled, looking at him in wonder. "Gajeel, you're amazing." She looked back at his handiwork before taking it off again and handing it to him so he could return them to separate rings. He grinned as he did so, before slipping his band back on and sliding her ring back where it belonged. Leaning down, he stole another kiss as his tiny wife threw her arms around his neck.

They broke apart at the resounding crash behind them, Natsu having kicked the door in. "You'd better not have stolen all of the best pieces of food, Rust Face!" The Fire Dragon Slayer bellowed across the room. Gajeel growled, turning to walk at his guild mate, already balling his fists. He only got two steps before Levy grabbed him, tugging at his sleeve. He glanced back over his shoulder at her, raising an eyebrow. "Give me your jacket, Husband. You look damn sexy in it, I'd rather it not get burned." A faint pink tinted his cheeks at the title she used as he shrugged it off and draped the jacket over her arm, leaving him in a black button down shirt and a vest that matched the bridesmaid's dresses; a blue so deep it was almost black. "Gihi." He chuckled as he turned back to the mage, still standing in the doorway whining about food. Gajeel almost missed a step when he heard his wife murmur, "Give him hell, Husband."


	2. Longing

"Mama, Mama! Mizu found it! Mizu found Untle Wiwy!" juvia smiled down at the small black haired boy as he ran up, cradling a tiny black kitten in his arms. She did, in fact, resemble the exceed who was walking behind the boy, except that she was clearly a regular cat and not an exceed. "I'm sorry, Juvia. I tried to get him to leave her, but then she started following us and I ran out of excuses." The Rain Woman laughed and waved a hand dismissively before resting it on her swollen belly as Levy stepped forward and held out her hands.

"May I see her, Mizu?" The little boy glared up at her, clutching his prize closer to his chest. "Mizu, let Auntie Levy see her, she likes kitties too!" Still glaring, he looked between the two bluenettes before reluctantly laying his new best friend into Levy's arms. The kitten stared up at Levy as she looked her over, carefully checking for broken bones or signs of sickness. You never knew with strays, what they'd been through. Satisfied that she was healthy, if a bit starved, the Script mage nodded at her friend with a smile. "Does Mizu's new kitty have a name?"

Mizu shrieked and launched himself at his mother's leg, clinging to her and giggling. "Tank you, Mommy! Mizu have her?" Levy found herself chuckling at the boy's excitement as she passed the kitten back to him. "Kitty!" He immediately sat down, right in the middle of the sidewalk they were on, and started playing with her, rubbing Kitty's ears and making little noises. "Juvia thanks Lily for walking with Mizu. It is such a beautiful day, Juvia wanted fresh air, but she did not think walking would take so much effort." Levy laughed as she wrapped an arm around her friend's waist. "You did this when you were pregnant with Mizu too, Juvia. Always tried to do more than you should."

The Water mage chuckled sheepishly as she leaned on her smaller friend. "It's no problem, Juvia. Levy and I were going for a walk today anyway; as you said, it's a beautiful day. This one would have spent the whole afternoon with her nose in a book and missed it." Levy blushed slightly, looking away. She was grateful for something to do, but of course Lily would tease her about reading. The problem was, she hadn't even been reading. She'd been staring at the page for over an hour, spacing out and daydreaming. It had started with the sound of children laughing floating in through her open window, pulling her attention out of the novel she was buried in. She'd looked up from where she was curled on the window bench Gajeel built into her library and watched the family across the way playing in their front yard. Within a moment of watching their little baby toddling around, Levy's mind had wandered away, envisioning her own family playing in a park. She heard clearly the children's squeals, the deep chuckled "gihi" of her husband, the creak of a swing. She would have sworn she could even feel the sun on her back and the breeze ruffling her hair. The vision was so clear that when a door slammed and startled her out of it, she came back to herself with a choked sob.

She didn't want Gajeel to hear her, so she buried her face in her arms, holding her breath to try to stifle the sobs that were wracking her tiny body. She was ready. They'd been married for four years, and they'd only ever talked about children once. They had been married for a few months and found out Gray and Juvia were expecting. Erza had started rambling with a romantic expression on her face about growing the next generation of Fairy Tail members, and someone asked Gajeel when they were going to have children. He'd simply growled, "When we have 'em." and left it at that. Levy was honestly scared to bring it up to him, terrified he'd tell her he wasn't ready. Or worse, that he didn't want to have children with her. How had they never discussed such a huge topic before they had gotten married? _Not that it would have made a difference. I'd have married him anyway._ She thought to herself, wiping her eyes. She'd gone back to staring blankly at her book when Lily knocked on the door, stepping into her library with her communication journal in his hand. "Juvia has taken little Mizu out for a walk and found herself unable to keep up with the youngster's energy level. Gajeel is in the middle of a project of some kind, but it's a beautiful day and I thought you might wish to join me in assisting her? I know you love the boy."

She'd forced a smile on her face and nodded, telling him she would be down momentarily and holding the smile there until he left, shutting the door behind him. She DID dote on the child, sometimes taking him for the whole day to hang out with. Though she'd never spoken to Juvia about it, Levy was pretty sure the older woman knew how badly she wanted a child of her own, and never had a problem with Levy snagging him for a play date. Especially now that she was fit to pop again. And so, Levy had found herself walking around with her friends, fighting back tears as the longing tore at her heart. She pulled her attention back to the little boy sat at her feet and wrote "toy." The tail of the 'y' was made of a feather, and she handed it to her nephew to play with his new friend. "We're pretty close to your home, Juv. I think I'm going to head home and get dinner started for my dragon, and let Lily walk you the rest of the way home, if that's alright with the two of you?" Juvia tugged her around to study her face for a moment before smiling sadly at the shorter woman. Levy saw Lily looking between the two of them as if he was trying to figure out what was going on. "It's no problem, Levy-chan. Juvia is just happy she was able to share the day with her friends." Lily nodded slowly before shifting to his battle form and picking up the small boy off the ground in one hand, scooping the kitten up in the other.

"Untle Wiwy! My have Kitty?" Mizu stretched out his hands for his pet, gently cradling her to his chest when the exceed obliged his request. "Is that her name? Kitty? It's a wonderful name." Lily smiled at the boy as he sat him on his shoulder and hooked an arm around Juvia to support her as they headed for home. Levy watched for a moment before turning and heading to her own home. She made it about a quarter of the way back home before losing the fight to stay her tears and had to stumble behind a building so no one saw her. Sliding down the wall Levy curled up, burying her face in her knees as all of the pain from the last few months reared it's ugly head. She knew she would have to talk to Gajeel soon, and stop just bottling up the despair she felt every month that she realized once again that she was not pregnant. She lost track of how long she sat there, her breath coming in gasps as she struggled to get control again. Her sobs were so loud they almost caused her to miss the soft voice from the person standing at her elbow. "Levy? Levy what's wrong?!" She lifted her head, bleary red eyes staring at Pantherlily crouched next to her for a full thirty seconds before her brain caught up with who he was. "Oh, Lily! It's nothing!" She exclaimed, wiping quickly at her cheeks. The exceed frowned and pulled her into his arms, cradling her much like the child he'd just been carrying as she gave in and let her tears fall again. "Does he know? Have you even told him?" She felt as much as she heard the rumbled questions and shook her head, burying her face in his soft fur. "You might be surprised you know. Maybe I'll head out for the night once I've dropped you off and let you two talk." Levy said nothing, simply turning the thought over in her head.

"Lily?" She pulled back a little, looking up at the exceed. "Yes, Levy?" He glanced down for a moment before continuing down their path. "You should probably set me down. Gajeel will freak out if you're carrying me. You know how he is, he'll think I'm hurt." Pantherlily nodded, chuckling as he set her feet carefully on the ground. She leaned against him, hugging him tightly for a moment. He returned her hug, releasing his hold on his battle mode and shrinking to his regular size in her arms. She scratched his head and let go, his wings appearing so he could float next to her as they continued to their home. "Y-yeah, Lily. I think I'll talk to him tonight. Thank you."


	3. Pillow Talk

"Lev… What's wrong?" Gajeel reached over to brush the bluenette's hair out of her face as they laid in their bed, her head pillowed on his left arm. She opened her eyes to look up at him, a blush dusting her cheeks. "Who said anything is wrong, Gajeel? I'm fine, just very comfortable." She smiled and closed her eyes again, afraid to hold his gaze. Worried he would see the hurt, the worry lingering there. She'd tried. Honestly she'd tried to keep her word to Lily and tell Gajeel. But every time she opened her mouth to tell him that she wanted to have children, she'd frozen and scrambled for something else, ANYTHING else to say.

Gajeel hadn't seemed to notice, so she'd just let it drop after the fourth failed attempt. She'd finished cooking their meal, they'd eaten and made happy conversation about their days, and gone about the evening doing their own separate things. Gajeel, for his part, had noticed every time his tiny wife had stumbled over her words. She was normally so well spoken, so when she seemed to be scrambling to find words, it had caught his attention. He'd dismissed it at first, but when she continually did it, he started to get a little concerned. She still seemed happy though, so he'd let it drop, knowing she would talk to him whenever she was ready. But then the evening had dragged on, and she still never said anything.

Now they were in bed, comfortable and ready for sleep, Levy dozing in his arms. "Shrimp. There's somethin' botherin' ya, and it's botherin' me that yer not tellin' me. I ain't gonna be able to sleep until ya tell me." She turned further into his chest, burying her face with a groan. "I have enhanced hearing, Shrimp, but that wasn't something even I couldn't understand." He rolled slowly, shifting their bodies so she was on her back underneath him, propping himself on his elbows over her. "Try again." Her face flushed as she screwed her eyes shut. He almost kissed her to keep her from saying anything when he saw a single tear roll down her cheek, but he didn't want to chance her losing the courage to speak.

"I want to have a child, Gajeel. I want to have YOUR child. I have wanted this for almost two years, but I've been afraid to tell you and I don't even seem to be ab-" Now he did cut her off with a kiss, brushing his thumbs across her cheeks to wipe her tears. He pulled back sooner than he wanted to when she hiccoughed. "Ya silly woman. I wish ya'd told me before. I had no clue ya wanted kids as bad as I did." He stared down at her, his crimson eyes studying her face as she froze completely. "Y-you w-w-want k-kids?" She stammered out, starting to cry again. "Shrimp! That was supposed t' be a happy thing! Why're ya cryin' more?!" He rolled them again, sitting up to cradle her against his chest.

"B-but what if… what if I can't?! Statistically speaking we should have by now!" He wrapped his left arm around her, gently running his right through her hair and down her back to help soothe her. "Shh, Lev, shh. It's alright." She was still taking gasping breaths to try and stop her crying, or gain a little control at least. "Now ya listen here, woman." Gajeel said calmly, stroking his fingers in slow circles on her back. "Yes, I wanna have kids with ya. I wanna see ya, belly swollen with my kid, hollerin' at me that ya want crazy weird things in the middle o'the night. I wanna watch ya teach our kid to be smarter than their old man, and I wanna train them to be the toughest bastard the guild has ever seen." Levy calmed as he leaned against his chest, feeling his words rumble in his chest. With his last comment, she giggled, shifting herself in his lap so she could look into his eyes.

"I think you're going to be the best father the guild has ever seen. The women are going to be envious of me because they know their men will never be as attentive as you, and their babies couldn't possibly be as cute as ours." Gajeel chuckled, pulling her into a hug. "Damn straight, Shrimp." They got quiet for a moment, content in each other and the plans they were dreaming up for their family. "I jus' wish ya'd told me sooner so ya never had to feel this pain, Lev." She nodded, pressing her nose into his neck. Gajeel suppressed a shiver as her breath tickled him, trying to keep his mind on track. "Gajeel… what if we can't?" He grew very still underneath her, tightening his arms a little around her. "We ain't gonna know until we try, will we? If it makes ya feel better, we can go see the old hag tomorrow. And if all else fails, Lev, we could always adopt. Mavis knows there's 'nough kids out there growin' up alone like we had to, only they ain't got a guild."

She shot straight up to look at him, excitement dancing in her eyes at his words. He wasn't going to be disappointed in her as a wife if she couldn't have his children? As soon as she knew he wanted kids, that had started tearing at her mind. "Did you know that you're perfect, Husband?" He laughed out loud at that as she laid her head back on his shoulder, nose against his neck. "I'll remind ya of that next time yer mad at me." He lost his train of thought as she moved, placing gentle kisses along his collarbone. "S-Shrimp. What're ya…" He stopped as he felt her lips moving against his skin, a quiet groan escaping his mouth.

"You said we wouldn't know until we try, right?" Levy murmured, letting her teeth and lips tease him. "Ya wanna try NOW?!" He yelped, caught off guard by how abrupt her mood swing was, shocked about how forward she was being after sobbing just minutes before. "Is there a problem?" Levy almost growled the question, her voice sending a jolt down Gajeel's spine. Responding with a growl of his own, he flipped them yet again, pinning her arms to the mattress and laughing at the squeak his sudden movement elicited from the beautiful script mage he'd been lucky enough to claim as his mate. "No better time than the present, so they say." He rumbled, leaning his head down to steal a kiss, cutting off any witty comments she was going to add to the conversation. Gajeel shifted his weight to his left arm, using his right to being exploring the body he knew and loved so much as his mouth trailed kisses down her neck.


	4. Trouble Twins

" _No better time than the present, so they say."_

Levy came back from her memories with a jolt, a faint blush crossing her face as that night faded from the front of her mind. The saying "Practice makes perfect" fit the situation as well. They certainly made an effort to practice. They'd "practiced" for weeks after Levy went to see Porlyusica.

 _ **June 9**_

The old woman performed a full exam on Levy, telling her that there was nothing wrong with her body, she should be able to conceive and there was no reason that she hadn't. "Mebbe it's somethin' with me then, Shrimp…" Gajeel started, clenching his hands at his side. Levy could tell he was already starting to beat himself up and gently placed a hand on his, moving her head so she was looking into his eyes. "Don't. Don't you dare. I'm sure there's a reason, and neither of us is at fault. Now that we're both wanting this, we can be more aware of things. Maybe it was just because I was stressing so much about wanting to be pregnant in the first place."

The tension in his shoulders released a little as a small smile crept across his face. "Yer right, Shrimp. We'll just have to try harder." He scooped her into his arms, kissing her deeply. "You idiots do realize you're still in my house, yes?" Porlyusica growled at the couple, tapping her foot and reaching for a nearby broom. Levy squeaked, hiding her face in her hands as Gajeel laughed, running out the door and down the lane towards their home.

* * *

 _ **October 12**_

 _It's been… four months?_ Levy chuckled, resting a hand on her belly. She was barely even showing yet, in fact no one else had even noticed yet. The only ones who knew were Gajeel and Lily. Gajeel had smiled so hugely when she told him, she'd thought his face was going to split.

* * *

 _ **July 26**_

Gajeel yelled as he picked Levy up and spun them in a circle, making her squeal. Lily came bursting into the room at their exclamations, staring blankly at the couple for a moment before realization broke through as to what was going on. Loosing a shout of his own, Lily flew into his best friends, hugging them tightly.

"Careful of the baby, ya idiot!" Gajeel growled at the exceed, trying to pull Levy away as she started laughing. "Husband, the baby isn't going to be hurt by Lily hugging me! I'm only about five weeks along so far!" Gajeel of course had wanted to run out and tell everyone, she guessed so he could rub it in to the other Dragon Slayers. She made him wait though. She'd done a lot of reading and research since they started trying in earnest to conceive a child, and there was a great chance she could lose the baby still, especially since they'd had a challenge getting pregnant in the first place. She had considered keeping the news from Gajeel as well, for about a second before she snorted to herself and shook her head. There was no way she could keep her excitement contained from her husband.

* * *

 _ **October 15**_

"Are ya sure yer ready, Lev?" Gajeel paced anxiously outside the guildhall doors, Levy biting her lip to keep from giggling. "My love, you have been hinting at and pestering me to spill the beans to everyone for three months. Would you like to wait a little longer?" Her dragon slid to a stop, whirling to face her. "NO! N-no. I'm ready to tell everyone the great news. Jus' wanted to make sure I'm not rushin' ya into somethin' ya ain't ready for. Mavis knows ya got enough stress on ya without-" Levy finally let out the giggle she had been holding in, stepping forward to wrap her arms around him.

"I swear to you it will be less stressful to tell everyone and stop having to figure out how to keep it from them. Besides, I will be showing soon, and won't be able to pretend I'm just tired anymore." Taking a deep breath, Gajeel nodded and leaned down to kiss the blue hair nestled against his chest. "Righ', Shrimp. How ya wanna do this?" Sighing, she looked up at him. "I have thought about just walking in and telling them, but that's a little boring, don't you think?" She paused for a moment to give him a chance to speak, but he just nodded again. "So, I'm thinking I'll just _casually_ mention it to Mira and Lu-chan and let them announce it for me."

Gajeel threw his head back in a laugh, his tiny wife smiling up at him. "You like that option then?" Letting go of the Iron Dragon Slayer, Levy stepped away and turned towards the guild. "You might want to stay across the hall from us… you know how Mira's voice can get when she's excited." He was still chuckling, wiping at his eyes. "Yeah, Shrimp. And Bunny girl can hit some seriously high notes when she's yelling." The bluenette scrunched her nose at him, sticking out her tongue as she walked towards the door. "Oh, real mature, babe. Yer sure ready to be a ma." Levy let out a sharp laugh as she pushed the door open, slipping inside and looking for her closest friend.

She didn't have to look far, the blonde woman was standing just inside, her jaw slack and her eyes wide. "YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY?!" Silence followed her shriek for the space of a breath. Then, in true Fairy Tail fashion, there was an explosion of yells and noises as chaos broke free. "A BABY! GAJEEL AND LEVY! BABY!" There was a jumble of voices, and grimaces on the faces of the Dragon Slayers, their enhanced hearing more of a handicap now than it had ever been before.

Within moments, Levy was whisked away by the guild's women, there were plans to be made. Gajeel had a mug of ale pressed into his hand, hearty slaps to his back and lewd comments being thrown at him. He tolerated it a few minutes, a smug look on his face before he got fed up with the attention and physical contact. "Three, Two, One…" Levy counted out to her friends as they watched Gajeel throw back his drink before swinging the empty mug into Natsu's face. "And they're off." The women laughed and gathered the notes they'd already started taking, slipping off to the guild's library.

* * *

 _ **February 16**_

"Gajeel, hand me that biscuit?" The Dragon Slayer picked up the food in question and passed it to his wife without even looking up from his book. Much to the shock of everyone in the guild, he'd taken to reading with her sometimes as they ate their meals in the hall. Natsu had been the only one dumb enough to comment on it so far, although Laxus had almost broken and said something when he saw that it was a baby book. He'd gone so far as to open his mouth when he felt more than heard someone behind him. He'd glanced over his shoulder to find Mirajane, her face in shadow and her hair starting to stand on end. "H-hey there, Mira…" She growled softly, speaking low so only the blonde man could hear her. "If you say something that makes him stop reading those books to support his wife I swear by all that is holy I will murder you in your sleep." He gulped and snapped his mouth shut, turning back to his own meal. He could always give Gajeel grief about it AFTER the baby was born.

"Gajeel, can you hand me another biscuit please?" Again, the raven haired man complied with his tiny woman's request without breaking stride in his reading. Several people had stopped what they were doing to watch the couple. Levy had eaten almost a dozen biscuits already, on top of her breakfast of eggs and bacon. "Uhm… honey… could you make me some metal?" That one got him. Gajeel was halfway through absently making a piece of iron in the shape of a biscuit when he stopped and looked at Levy and then back at his hand.

"Shrimp, did ya seriously jus' ask me for metal?" She blushed, looking up from her own book and nodding. "I just think it sounds appetizing." He studied her face for a minute and then considered the iron he was making. "Iron is a bit tough to test if ya can eat metal, Shrimp. Lemme try somethin' else." He stuck the metal into his pocket and stood up, leaving the hall for a few minutes. He came back with an assortment of metal scraps and laid them out on the table in front of her. "Well, whatdya think? Any of this smell like somethin' ya wanna eat?" Levy set her book aside and studied the pieces, somehow oblivious to the audience they had gained. She picked up a piece of silver, and then a bit of copper, and a few of the others, turning them over in her delicate fingers, holding each up to her nose. Gajeel chuckled when she licked the copper, making a face before setting it down. "Shut up, you. This is your fault." Her growl was so cute he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing harder.

Levy glared at him before picking up a bite-sized piece of silver again and sticking it in her mouth. She sucked on it for a moment like a hard candy before her eyes lit up and she giggled. "Yum! Can I have some more?" Tentatively biting the metal, Levy swallowed the little chunk that came off. It was then that she noticed the lack of noise in the guild and all of the eyes looking at her. "Wha-what are you all staring at?! I'm just so hungry all the time, and the baby wants weird things, and I can't help it!" She looked down at her hands, tears starting to pool in her eyes.

Her mate growled, scowling around at everyone as he sat next to her, wrapping an arm around Levy's shoulders. He ducked his head to meet her eyes, pausing for a moment to listen to his child's heartbeat. He frowned a little as the thought crossed his mind, not for the first time, that the baby's heartbeat was a little faster than it should be. Or irregular… or something. But the hag had never said anything was wrong when she completed her check ups. "Hey, Shrimp. It's alrigh'. The books all say yer gonna wanna eat more. An' that yer gonna wanna eat weird things. I'm sure it's 'cause the dragon thing. The books ain't gonna know how t'explain that."

"Well, you might be right there, Metal Man." The Redfoxes looked up at a clanging thunk on their table, Gajeel growling at the Seith mage who had just seated himself across from them. Bickslow had dropped a bag on the table, and was sitting with his hands clasped behind his head. Levy perked up, sniffing at the bag and reaching tentatively for it. Bickslow nodded to her as he continued. "But, you might be wrong." He had a very smug look on what they could see of his face, most of his head covered by his mask and hood. There was a faint green glow coming through the slats of his mask. "What're ya on about, freak?" Levy jabbed her elbow into Gajeel's ribs, muttering at him to stop being rude. "He brought me more silver, Gajeel. Be nice."

"Me? Oh I'm on about nothing. Just that… well…" He leaned forward with a laugh, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as the light from his eyes grew brighter for a moment. "It could be that she's so hungry because there's two of them in there."

* * *

 _ **April 1**_

"Gajeel. GAJEEL! WAKE UP!" Gajeel came awake with a grunt, rolling to look at his tiny wife. His sleep addled brain couldn't wrap itself around the sounds coming out of her mouth, small whimpers and gasps. "Shrimp? Why're ya hunched over like that?" He glanced at the lacrima next to their bed that displayed the time. "It's one in th' mornin', woman. Go to sleep." He laid his head back down on his pillow and closed his eyes just as she groaned. Crimson eyes shot open, the Dragon Slayer shooting up off the bed.

"NOW?!" The Script Mage nodded, unable to form words as she rubbed at her sides, her stomach hard as a rock as all of her muscles contracted and relaxed. He snatched her communication notebook, hoping someone would be awake as he flipped to the page Levy had set up for Porlyusica, Lucy, and Juvia. "BABIES! NOW! HERE!" That was the best he could manage to write before he threw the book to the side table, running to pull on some clothes. "C'mon Lev. Think we can make it to the guild?" She simply grunted, rocking a little on her perch on the edge of the bed.

Gajeel snatched the bag that Levy had prepared weeks ago with extra clothes and things for the babies, slinging it over his shoulder. He'd just reached Levy again when Lily came in, having heard the commotion. He was in his battle form and looked between the two parents. He almost went to pick up Levy, but thought better of it. Even stressed out, or perhaps especially stressed out, Gajeel wasn't going to want anyone else to carry his laboring wife. Instead, he stepped forward to take the bag from his friend, turning to grab the notebook since it had started glowing.

"Juvia has written an exuberant amount of hearts and exclamation points and told us she'll see you at the guild later in the morning. Mizu and Kawa had a rough night. Lucy will be at the guild by the time we get there. Porlyusica says she hates you for making her use this stupid contraption, she's been sleeping at the guild for a week anyway, and asks why you have to be so damn troublesome." With that, the exceed chuckled, closing the book and tucking it into the bag he carried before shrinking to his regular size again. It was going to be a long night, and he didn't think he should waste any more energy than was strictly necessary.

Gajeel walked past him out of the room holding Levy, groans and occasional soft cries escaping from the tiny woman. Lily flew silently behind them until he had closed up the house, and then took off at max speed to prepare the guildhall for their arrival. He could barely contain his excitement at the prospect of nieces or nephews coming. _April first. What a fitting day for Trouble to join us._


	5. First Date

"Are you sure you don't mind, Lu? I know they're a handful." Levy had worry etched across her face as she inched closer to the door of her house, tugged along by her husband. Lucy laughed quietly, waving her hands at her friends. "Levy-chan, they're sleeping. I've been here at least once a week every week of the last five months. I know their routine, they know me, it'll be fine!" Gajeel grunted in amusement, aware of just how much knowing the twins' schedule meant. Which was to say, absolutely nothing.

But, it had been five months since the Redfox parents had been able to have a minute alone that wasn't completely consumed by sleeping or inhaling food so fast they couldn't taste it. Levy had finally told him she was ready to get out for an evening, and he'd leapt at the opportunity. He told his wife to plan anything at all, even if she just wanted to go to the bookstore, he didn't fucking care. So she had planned. Set up a meal at a restaurant they loved, looked up events across town that they might like, and realistically declared that they would probably just eat and come home.

Then she had found a sitter. Juvia had her hands full with her own two children, and had been acting very tired lately. Gajeel was pretty sure she was knocked up again, but he could be wrong. Erza was away on a mission, and Mira was of course working at the guildhall with Lisanna. Lucy was a great option as she did, in fact, spend a great deal o f time with the babies already. Plus, if all else failed, she could summon Aries or Virgo for a second set of hands in an emergency.

With a final groan Levy turned to her husband, dragging him out of their home before she could change her mind. "Come on, love. We're going to be late if you let me keep stalling." The tall man just chuckled, draping an arm over his tiny wife's shoulders and forcing her to walk slower. "If we miss our reservation, we miss it, Shrimp. Ain't no skin off my nose." She sighed, losing some of the tension she had felt before they left, and leaned against her dragon. "Isn't any…" Gajeel snorted, looking down at her with a wide grin on his face.

"Remember the first time ya corrected me?" Levy stifled a giggle, sliding her arm around his waist. "Honestly, I can't remember what I ate for breakfast this morning. Wasn't it something about 'wouldn't tell nobody' something?" He squeezed her shoulder lightly, knowing well how the sleep deprivation they were both suffering from stole the ability to think sometimes. "Somethin' like that, yeah." They walked in silence another block, enjoying each other's company and the peacefulness of the city at night.

Gajeel looked down, noticing the tiny Script Mage's steps slowing. After being together for so long, he no longer had to think about slowing down his own pace to enable her to stay even with him, but she was dragging even more than usual. "Shrimp, ya alrigh'?" He stopped completely, turning to study her face. He was concerned the walking was straining her energy levels too much. For herself, Levy was staring at her feet, almost as if she was embarrassed. "Lev, what is it?"

"I… I know we haven't been gone very long… fifteen minutes to be exact, but what if something's wrong?" She looked up at her mate with pleading eyes, anxiety tearing at her. His ruby eyes met hers, a smile dancing in their depths. "All yer careful thought an' plannin' an' ya forgot to grab the notebook, didn't ya?" She nodded, looking down again. The Dragon Slayer chuckled and reached his free hand around to his back pocket, pulling out the enchanted notebook that Levy had created so long ago to be able to communicate with her friends. He tapped her lightly on top of her head with it, causing her to squeal and snatch it from his hand when she saw what it was.

Levy hurried over to sit on a bench nearby, flipping the book to the page she had that was connected to Lucy's own copy. Hey Lu-chan, how's everything going? Picking up her pen, Levy chewed on the end for a moment, waiting anxiously for Lucy's reply. After only a moment, she started bouncing a leg, looking from the notebook to Gajeel. "Shrimp, give it a bloody minute, would ya?" As he finished speaking Levy saw words appearing on the page. Lol, Levy-chan you JUST left. The babies are still sleeping, I'm reading that book you left out for me. Enjoy your date!

She huffed out a sigh, blushing as she started to feel silly, and handed the pen and notebook back to her husband. "I'm sorry, Gajeel." He just shook his head with a grin on his face and held out his arm for her to tuck herself against his side again. He would never tell Levy, but Juvia had actually warned him that this might happen.

"Don't be surprised if your night out is cut short, Gajeel-kun. Levy-chan won't be able to help herself. Juvia only lasted for an hour the first time she left Mizu at home with Levy-chan. And it took Gray-sama six months to convince Juvia to leave both Mizu and Kawa alone with someone." Gajeel had nodded, remembering the popsicle complaining about the lack of time alone with his wife after their daughter had been born. And so, he'd kept that thought in the back of his mind as Levy planned everything out for their first date since… he didn't even know how long it had been. Some few weeks before the twins had arrived, he mused.

Finally, they arrived at the cafe Levy had set their reservation at. She tugged the notebook out of his pocket, ignoring the murmured joke about wandering hands from her husband as she stepped aside and opened it to write to Lucy again. I'm sure you're going to be checking in again sometime soon so I'll let you know that Yaje woke up, but he wasn't even fussy. He's been changed and I fed him a little and now we're playing with that rattle Gajeel made for him. I wish I could send you a picture, it's adorable. He's curled his feet up and is holding the rattle with them, just kind of smacking it with those chubby little hands. And there's Shutora, she just woke up giggling. Enjoy your dinner! Levy quickly dashed the tears off her cheeks as she handed the book back to Gajeel so he could see what their children were up to as well.

Thanks, Blondie. He wrote before tucking the book away, grinning down at the bluenette standing next to him. "We have some damn amazin' kids, Lev." She smiled back up at him, laying her head on his arm as they followed the waiter to their table. Gajeel pulled her chair around to the same side as his own. "Jus' like our very first date, yeah?"

"I shouldn't be surprised that you remember!" Levy responded with a sheepish grin. Their waiter came around and Gajeel ordered for both of them, Levy giggling and leaning into his side. "I know ya don't wanna be out too long, Shrimp. I figgered ya wouldn't mind me orderin' our usual stuff t'save time." The tiny Script Mage tugged his shirt, the big man grinning as he leaned he head closer to her so she could kiss him. "Thank you, Gajeel. For being so understanding about all of this."

"Ya may not believe it, woman, but I miss 'em too. My princess likes to hide her face in m'hair. An' m'little man is so strong. Ya know he pulled Lil's tail so hard the other day Lil actually slid backwards?" The couple devolved into laughter, sharing stories of their children's antics as they ate. Neither of them seemed to mind that their time away from the babies was spent talking about them. "In the short time they been here, those mini Shrimps have made themselves our whole world, haven't they, Lev?" She nodded, glancing furtively at the notebook on the table. Gajeel huffed, pretending to be upset, and slid the book to her, opening the cover to the right page.

Hope dinner was great! Babies are asleep again, so if you want to stay out longer it's no problem! "Lu-chan really IS a spectacular friend." Levy laughed as she closed the book. "Do you want to get a drink at the pub or something on the way home?" She looked up at her husband, smiling gently. Her babies were fine. They were safe. There was no need to rush home. Gajeel smiled back, leaning to kiss her on her forehead. "Nah, Shrimp. How about we hit the bookstore before it closes and get that book you were talkin' to Bunny girl about 'fore we left."

There was a squeal that erupted from the tiny woman as she hugged him before jumping up from the table. "I promise I won't stay there all night!" Gajeel paid for their food, laughing as he tucked the notebook and pen into his pocket and stood to follow the bouncing woman. "Yeah, yeah, I'll believe that when I see it, Shrimp." He offered her his arm again, and they headed for the bookstore. It may not have been Gajeel's favorite place to go, but it made his wife happy, and that in itself made him happy. "Take as long as ya need, Lev."


	6. Grief

_**A/N - This chapter is called Grief, obviously. It was written for the Tumblr prompt, and it hurt just to write. Heads up, it's sad. Just saying in case you thought the title might be misleading. I'm sorry for anyone this might trigger, it's written from my own experience and pain, so believe me I know the ouch. Much loves.**_

* * *

" _Daddy! Catch me!" Shutora squealed as she leapt from a tree to her father's waiting arms. Gajeel laughed as he caught her, spinning in a circle before setting her on the ground. The little girl giggled, running right back to climb the tree she'd just jumped out of. Her twin was sitting higher than she, but he wasn't jumping. Instead, he'd wedged himself in a split in the branches, fully entrenched in a book. "Oii, Pipsqueak, that book any good?" His son didn't even flinch, simply turned the page and kept reading. Gajeel watched him for a moment before shifting his crimson eyes to find his wife. She was stretched out on a blanket under another tree, the gentle breeze ruffling her hair as she sang quietly to their baby. The child was only a month old, but the day had been too perfect for the whole family to miss the chance to spend it at the park._

Gajeel Redfox opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling. It was completely dark, there was no reason he should be awake. He listened intently, trying to figure out what had roused him from his sleep. The twins had long since outgrown waking up in the middle of the night, unless something was terribly wrong. And they were never quiet when something was wrong, so the silence was telling him it wasn't them. He had just about decided it was just nothing when he heard a sound again. "Gaj…"

Gajeel shot up out of his bed, whirling to see where his wife was. She wasn't in the bed next to him, like he'd thought. How had he not noticed the lack of her warmth beside him? "Lev? Darlin' where are ya?" His enhanced vision didn't struggle with the darkness at all, but she wasn't anywhere that he could see, and his heart was pounding too hard for him to pinpoint the where her gasps were coming from. "Lev?" Rounding their bed he froze, slitted pupils locked on the tiny woman sat on the floor, leaning against their huge bed. Her hands were fisted in her shirt, blood soaking her pants and the floor. "Gajeel… I think… something's wrong…"

Ice shot through Gajeel's veins, his mind drawing a complete blank as to what was going on for a solid minute as he stared down at his wife. _Something's wrong_ _… the baby?_ A choked sob escaped Levy's mouth and shook the Dragon Slayer out of his stupor, dropping to his knees next to her. "Lev', honey I'm gonna get help." He lurched to his feet again as she nodded, racing down the hallway to his best friend's room. Gajeel threw the door open, barely catching it before it slammed into the wall. "Lily! Wake up!" The exceed sat up rubbing his eyes and looking at Gajeel. "Levy says somethin's wrong with the baby, I need you!" Immediately, Pantherlily was completely awake, leaping out of his bed with his wings unfurled.

"Go back to her, I'll bring help!" Lily threw the comment over his shoulder as he launched himself through a window and took off at his top speed for Fairy Hills. Wendy would be the closest, and Carla could get her back to Levy while Lily himself went for the lady Porlyusica. He flew with every ounce of strength he had, not even slowing as he crashed through the door of the women's dorm. He did hesitate a moment, closing his eyes as he opened the door to Wendy's room. She was a young woman now, after all, there was no telling what state she would be in. "Wendy! I'm sorry for the hour, but Levy is in need of you immediately."

Being the healer that she was, Wendy was ready in just a moment, simply tying up her hair as Carla readied herself. Lily turned to leave, meeting Erza and Cana in the hall and giving them a brief explanation. Erza immediately got serious, requipping into street clothes and running out the door, Cana on her heels. "I'll get Juvia!" Cana yelled over her shoulder as Lily took off flying through the air again. Within moments, he was swooping in to land in the clearing in front of the healer's home. "What is it? Who's done something stupid now?" The old lady snapped. Lily honestly wasn't surprised that she was standing on her porch as if she was waiting for him. "My lady, the baby." Her eyes softened and she stepped forward quickly. "You'll have to carry me. There isn't time."

By the time Lily flew up to the house every light was on, except for the twins' room. _Levy's silence trap must have been activated._ The Script Mage had set up a semi-permanent rune trap around their room, one simply had to pick up the light pen she kept on a shelf outside their room and draw a few lines. Then no sound would enter to disturb them until morning. Lily followed the old healer through the house and upstairs, stumbling as he entered Gajeel and Levy's bedroom. Gajeel had gotten Levy onto the bed, and someone had covered her stomach and legs with a blanket. The room was crowded, all of the women in various states.

Wendy had her hands extended over Levy's stomach, the pregnant woman seemingly asleep. "How's the patient?" Wendy turned slowly, her shoulders drooping. "I've managed to calm her enough that she's sleeping again, but…" Carla reached up to pat her Dragon Slayer's leg as tears started pouring down the girl's face. "Child, by the time the mother knows, there is almost never anything you can do…" Porlyusica murmured softly, moving Wendy to the side to perform her own exam. Lily cast his eyes around trying to find Gajeel, but the man was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

"Gajeel-kun." Juvia barely said the word, knowing the Dragon Slayer would hear her standing just behind him. He turned slightly, his face an impassive mask as he looked at his oldest friend. She slipped her hand into his and tugged gently, leading him from the room. They walked until they were out in the small yard Levy had begged Gajeel to wall in when they moved into the house. Still no emotion crossed his face, but when Juvia turned to study him, she could tell something was wrong. Of course something was wrong. His baby was…

Juvia decided that there was nothing she could say that could possibly make this okay, so she simply wrapped her arms around him, laying her head against his chest. "Gajeel-kun, Juvia is so sorry." Gajeel stood stiffly, arms at his sides for so long that Juvia thought maybe she'd made the wrong choice. She started to release her hold on him, but he suddenly had his arms around her. There wasn't a sound coming from him, but his body started convulsing with silent sobs.

Not able to hold his weight and her own, the Rain Woman slowly sat them down, reaching a hand to stroke his hair as his grip around her tightened. "What do I do? Why is this happening? What do I do?" Gajeel gasped the pleading words out, Juvia feeling them more than hearing them. She didn't know how long they sat there, her heart breaking and a gentle rain falling on the house as she struggled to find a way to support her best friend.

"Gajeel must not blame himself for this. This is a terrible tragedy that is not the fault of anyone. Gajeel must make himself to understand this." She still stroked his hair, rocking a little as his sobbing slowed, locking onto her words like they were a lifeline. "Gajeel can only support Levy and make her understand this as well. This is not her fault." He pulled back from her with a hiss, looking straight into her eyes. "Of COURSE this ain't the Shrimp's fault! How could you even-" he stopped growling as Juvia shook her head slowly.

"Juvia would never suggest Levy-chan was at fault. What did Juvia say? No one is to blame for this. But, in Levy-chan's position, Juvia would be convinced it was her own fault that she lost her baby." Gajeel considered her words, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Aye. Yer right, Juv. I'm sorry, I know ya wouldn't suggest… fuck. I gotta get in there." He lurched to his feet, offering her a hand up as he struggled to make his face impassive again as they went back inside.

* * *

"Lily… it's been a week. I can't get her to leave, can't barely get her to eat. The twins… they keep asking what's wrong with mommy. The fuck am I supposed to do?" Gajeel was sat at his kitchen table, his head cradled in his hands. Pantherlily was standing behind him, scrambling some eggs for Gajeel to take to Levy. Normally the Dragon Slayer would do that, but he'd been prone to spacing out while cooking lately. Lily never had the heart to ask what he was thinking about, but he could probably have guessed.

"Does she say anything?" He happened to glance over his shoulder at his friend, so he saw the man shake his head. "I don't even think she's readin', Lil'. She jus' lays there starin' at the ceiling or sleeps. Or she cries, when she thinks I can't hear her." Slamming his fists into the table, Gajeel stood up and began pacing around the kitchen. "I'm useless. Can't punch my way out of this. What am I supposed to do?!"

He stopped his agitated movements as he passed the kitchen's open window. The twins were out in the yard, Blondie sat on the ground with her hands over her eyes counting out loud while they hid. A slight smile crept across his face for a moment before he found himself remembering the dream he'd been having that night. Gajeel jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Lily holding out a plate of food.

"All of her favorites. Something will look appetizing, I hope." The Dragon Slayer nodded, taking the plate with one hand, patting his cat on the shoulder with the other. "Thanks Lily." Gajeel looked out the window again. "Did ya know they started arguin' yesterday about the baby? Shu of course wants a sister 'cause boys are dumb. And Yaje wants to have a little brother so he can teach him t'burp. Which set Mini-Shrimp off 'cause of course she can burp louder than Yaje. And so on."

Pantherlily chuckled, shaking his head as Gajeel turned to leave the kitchen. He made his way carefully through their living room, dodging toys and scattered books that his children had left in the wake of their playing this morning. _This morning? Don't kid yourself, Redfox. You ain't cleaned in four days. Even Lily stopped trying to keep up with those hooligans._

Opening the door to his bedroom silently he slipped into his room. Levy was staring at their ceiling, completely blank. She didn't even seem to notice him standing there, just like she hadn't noticed Erza sitting in the chair in the corner. The requip stood quietly, offering the man a small smile before leaving. The day after the worst day of Gajeel's life, Levy had been sobbing into his chest. He'd asked her what he could do to help and her reply had almost broken him. "Just let me die…Let me join her."

"Never! That's NEVER goin' t'happen, Shrimp." He'd just held her, stroking her hair and rocking her until she'd cried herself to sleep. Then he'd slipped out and called the women of their guild, setting up a schedule with them to make sure Levy was never alone. He was pretty sure she wouldn't actually harm herself… he thought. But he also didn't want to take that chance.

The Dragon Slayer set the plate carefully on the nightstand next to his wife, leaning down to kiss her cheek gently. "Hey, Lev. Lily made ya all of yer favorites. Will ya please eat something?" She turned glassy eyes to look at him, blinking a few times as she tried to focus. She shifted a little, and Gajeel wrapped an arm around her, helping her to sit up in the bed and propping several pillows behind her. "There's m'girl. Eat what ya can, alright?" He walked over to the chair the Titania had vacated and sat in it wearily. Seeing the love of his life like this was awful, but he couldn't let her see how much he was hurting. He didn't want to add to her own pain.

"Momma!" Gajeel's eyes flew open as Shutora squealed, barely seeing the flashes of blue as his children launched themselves at the bed his wife was laying on. "Momma we missed you! Is you okay, Momma? When is our baby coming, Momma? Why don't you want to see us anymore, Momma? Momma, did we do something wrong?" The twins' voices overlapped each other so that their words seemed to be one continuous sentence. At the last question, Gajeel stopped his movement to get them off of their mother, dropping instead to his knees at the side of the bed. He'd failed all of them completely. How had they possibly gotten the thought this was their fault? They didn't even know anything!

Gajeel pulled himself onto the bed next to the children as he realized Levy had finally snapped out of herself. Maybe it had been their questions, or maybe just their presence in general, but she'd focused on the children immediately, throwing her arms around them and cuddling the twins to her tiny body. "Oh, my loves, no! You've done nothing! Momma was just… sick. Oh, my babies, I'm so sorry I yelled at you before." Shutora had snuck into the room a few days before with Yaje in her shadow, slipping in between shifts of people sitting with Levy.

Levy had been in one of her bad spots, the pain medication Porlyusica had left for her having worn off. Yaje had asked his mother excitedly about the baby, wondering if his brother was going to be here soon, which of course made Shutora start asking if her sister was going to like books like Yaje or if she would be cooler than that. The two had bickered for a moment before Levy lost it and screamed at them to get out, the pain that they would never know the answer to the twins' questions too great for her to cope. Her husband had burst into the room and scooped the kids out, taking them to the kitchen and distracting the two with ice cream.

"Momma, we're sorry we made you ang-" Shutora started, but she stopped when Levy shook her head. "Sweetie, you have nothing to be sorry for. Momma is sorry. She shouldn't have screamed at you when you were just trying to ask a question." Gajeel settled next to his family, pulling Shutora onto his lap. "Guys, Momma has been sick. And Daddy shoulda told ya before. This ain't easy, but yer m'tough little Shrimps, and ya deserve t'know." Levy wrapped her arms around Yaje, burying her face in his mess of hair as Gajeel did his best to explain why their mother had been hiding from them for week. Lily slipped in at one point, joining his family in their grief as they all pulled strength from each other.


	7. Marriage - Living Together

"Daddy! Catch me!" Shutora squealed as she leapt from a tree to her father's waiting arms. Gajeel laughed as he caught her, spinning in a circle before setting her on the ground. The little girl giggled, running right back to climb the tree she'd just jumped out of. Her twin was sitting higher than she, but he wasn't jumping. Instead, he'd wedged himself in a split in the branches, fully entrenched in a book. "Oii, Pipsqueak, that book any good?" His son didn't even flinch, simply turned the page and kept reading. Gajeel watched him for a moment, wracking his brain as deja vú struck him like a bolt of Laxus' lightning.

He whipped his crimson eyes around, shifting them to find his wife. She was stretched out on a blanket under another tree, the gentle breeze ruffling her hair as she sang quietly to their baby. Tetsu was only a month old, but the day had been too perfect for the whole family to miss the chance to spend it at the park. Gajeel screwed his eyes shut, murmuring a silent plea to anyone listening that nothing would change when he opened his eyes.

"Gajeel?" Crimson eyes snapped open, staring straight at the tiny bluenette lying ten feet away from him. She had barely called to him, knowing his enhanced hearing would easily pick up her voice. "Yeah, Shrimp?" Levy reached behind her, patting the blanket at her back in invitation. The Dragon Slayer glanced up his son and daughter, smirking as Shutora wrote a small word and flung it at her brother. "Ya be careful, brats."

"Yes, Daddy!" The twins chorused, Yaje flicking the tiny water word away without even looking up. Satisfied that they were fine, Gajeel walked softly over to his wife, groaning softly as he stretched out next to her, wrapping his arm around her. Levy giggled as he placed his lips against the side of her neck just below her ear, rumbling a growl into her skin.

"What's wrong, Husband?" The Script mage traced her fingers up and down his arm, pressing herself back against his body. He responded by tightening his grip around her, nuzzling her hair. "Jus' remembered a dream I had once." Levy shifted carefully, rolling herself to face him. "A nightmare? You looked afraid, Gajeel. And I've only seen that look on your face a handful of times in the entirety of our almost fifteen years of marriage."

"Not exactly, Shrimp. It was actually a great dream. I dreamt of a perfect day, like this. I did exactly what I've done today, catchin' Shu when she jumped out of that tree, and tauntin' Yaje. Then, I looked at ya and our child, layin' here on this blanket… only it wasn't this little man, it was our little Tori." He lapsed into silence, his eyes closed and his face still buried in her hair. Levy laid very still for a moment, before taking his hand and resting it on her stomach.

"I see. Then you blinked, and when you opened your eyes…" she stopped talking as he nodded, reaching up to stroke hair off his face so she could kiss his cheek. "We've been so blessed, Gajeel. I know… I know we were both so scared when Tetsu was coming along. I could barely sleep for his entire fifth and six months. But look at him." They both moved their heads to look, Gajeel opening his slit-pupiled eyes to gaze warmly at their baby.

"Gihi. He looks just like ya, Shrimp. 'Cept he ain't so tiny." Levy snorted out a laugh, moving her hand to pinch his arm. "Oii, woman!" Gajeel grunted, wrapping his arm tight and rolling her over his body so he was between her and the sleeping infant. She squealed, looking up at him, studying his face.

"N-no. Gajeel, no! Please!" Levy placed both hands on his arm, struggling to pull her legs out of his grip as he chuckled darkly, throwing one of his legs over hers to pin them. "Daddy?" Gajeel glanced up to see his daughter standing by their heads, confusion crossing the ten year old's face. "Shu, quick, I've got her hands, tickle Mommy!"

"NO!" Levy yelled out in mock terror as Shutora dove at her mother, nimble fingers tickling up Levy's ribs as she writhed under her husband's arms. "P-please! Stop!" Within moments, Yaje had jumped down from the tree he was perched, bending his knees and rolling forward as he landed. He snuck forward, his right hand moving swiftly to draw words in the air. He leaned forward, scooping up his baby brother in his left arm before jumping back, his right arm flinging forward to launch his counter attack.

Without waiting to see if it struck true, Yaje turned and ran back towards his tree carefully, baby Tetsu nestled against his chest. "Solid Script: Cradle!" The older boy set the word carefully against his tree, laying his still sleeping brother in and draping a blanket over the top to keep bugs out. The mesh sides of the word allowed air to flow, and Yaje nodded in satisfaction before turning. Somehow, he'd been so focused on his task that he'd not heard the growl of his father, or the heavy footsteps of the Dragon Slayer, and so a yelp was startled out of him when he realized Gajeel was towering over him, hair plastered to his head.

"Uh… hey Dad… so, uh, my Water hit you instead of Shu?" He cast a furtive glance around the threat in front of him to see the state his twin was in, wondering if he'd get a rescue from either of the women in his family. "Yer sister was behind me. Ain't no way that weren't aimed at me." Gajeel rumbled, reaching up to push his hair away angrily.

"Dad… we wouldn't want to wake up Tetsu…" Gajeel hesitated a moment, stepping past his oldest son to peek at his youngest, snapping his hand out to catch Yaje's shirt as the brat tried to scamper away. Lifting him into the air and throwing the boy over his shoulder, Gajeel walked several paces away, glancing over his shoulder as Shutora squeaked. He almost lost his grip on the angry facade when he saw his girls. Levy had reversed them once Gajeel was no longer helping his daughter, and had the girl squealing with laughter.

"Daddy… I was just protecting mom… like you always tell us to!" The boy's voice was starting to get a little frantic now as his father stalked further away from the rest of their family. Gajeel grinned, his destination in sight, and pulled the child off his shoulder to hold him at eye level. Crimson eyes glaring at his son a moment, the Dragon Slayer finally relaxed his face, letting out a huge laugh.

"Nice, hot day we're havin', no?" Yaje nodded slowly, mind racing to figure out where his father was going with his comment. "Ya left yer book over there, right?" Again, Yaje nodded, confusion now crossing his face. "Good." With an almost evil smirk, Gajeel tossed his son into the river at his feet, laughing again at the yelp as Yaje hit the water.

Bare seconds passed and Gajeel heard thuds on the ground behind him. Whirling around he had just a moment before two tiny blue blues collided with his body, forcing him over the edge and into the water with a yell. Gajeel stood up in the river with a roar, scooping his twins in his arms and throwing them back into the water. Levy jumped up on his back, laughing hysterically. She gasped for breath a moment before muttering in his ear. "Don't worry, love. I've got wards up around Tetsu, he's fine. I love you so much."

Gajeel opened his mouth to respond and was promptly cut off by three huge "Water" Scripts as they slammed into him from different directions.

* * *

 _ **A/N - I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID IT! I got a new chapter up every day! Woo! I had so much fun(mostly) writing for these prompts! Thank youth everyone who stuck with me through the ouches!**_

 _ **Shoutout to my bestie Muddyevil for putting up with me breaking her heart. Multiple times. She the best and I love her dearly. Go read her prompts too if you haven't already. *less than three, my dear***_


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